Roaring 20's, Great Depression, and New Deal
Links provided on this website lead to sites maintained by outside organizations. When you leave this website, Peeples Elementary and teachers are NOT responsible for the material on other websites. We do not guarantee that these websites have not changed since the time we reviewed them and added them to this page. If you have any difficulties or concerns with any linked materials, please contact us.
Roaring Twenties
The 1920's EconomyThe United States emerged from the World War I as a full fledged world power. Many women who had begun working to help the war effort continued working. Many war time factories were converted into productive businesses which were able to mass produce popular new inventions such as radios, cars, refrigerators and much more. American stocks also made great gains after the countries success in World War I. Many people began investing heavily in the stock market causes stocks to rise even higher. Banks even loaned out large amounts of money, so people could invest borrowed money in the stock market. This increased flow of money into the stock market drove stocks even higher, but the poor financial decisions people were making were not going to last forever. People who had a surplus of money also began spending an increasing amount of money on entertainment such as sports, music and art. Professional baseball took off spurred by the tremendous hitting of Babe Ruth. The National Football League also had its beginnings. Charles Lindbergh became a national celebrity by flying his plane solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Can You Survive the Roaring 20s Kids Newsroom 1920's 1920's Timeline PBS Kids Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes The Jazz Age America's Library Great War and Jazz Age Duke Ellington Louis Armstrong Henry Ford and the Assembly Line
The price of cars decreased because more could be produced at a quicker pace; more people owned cars. Cars were expensive for ordinary people to own, but they were something that people really needed. Henry Ford wanted to make cars that were affordable. Although he wanted to do this, it costs him ALOT of money to make these cars because of the amount of time it took to make ONE car. He had to come up with a way to assemble them quicker and cheaper. He introduced the world to the assembly line and began making cars by the millions. This meant he could MASS PRODUCE cars. (Mass production) Babe Ruth
More people played baseball and attended games in person. Now that the men had returned from World War I, people wanted to just enjoy life. People had seen the horrors of war. They knew you needed to enjoy each and everyday. They kind of made YOLO popular before we made the term popular. In the 1920s people had leisure time. Leisure time is that time when you just hang and do the things that make you happy. Today people watch Netflix, play video games, go to museums, etc... Back in the 1920s one of the popular things to do was watch sports. Sports icons or heroes became their focus. People could not WAIT to find out what record they made or what they were going to do next. Just as Louis Armstrong brought about the Jazz Age, Babe Ruth brought about the age of professional sports. People flocked to the ballparks for the first time to see Babe Ruth hit his famous homeruns. He was the first professional athlete that was adored by fans. The age of professional sports had arrived. |
Great Depression and New Deal
Kids Newsroom 1930's 1930's Timeline PBS Stock Market Crash PBS Kids Great Deppression America's Library Depression and WWII Letters to Mrs. Roosevelt FAQ Great Depression and New Deal Wikipedia Dust Bowl Dust Bowl Digital Storytelling Wikipedia New Deal The New Deal Spartacus Educational TVA Kids Mission-US Great Depression/Dust Bowl Treasury Direct The New Deal Stock Market Crash of 1929
The 1920's were known as the Roaring 20s. During this time Americans were enjoying their lives. New technologies had been introduced like radios, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and so much more. People wanted these new items and stores offered to let them buy the items on credit. Buying something on installment is known as credit. The buyer agrees to put a little money down and make payments in a timely manner until it is paid off. People also saw how easy it was to make money by buying stocks. people began buying stock from many of the thriving businesses. Because the Unfortunately, many people began to borrow money so they could invest more in hopes that they would get rich. Stocks prices went up as shares were bought, but after time the price went down to reflect the TRUE value. When this happened, investors panicked and tried to sell their stocks. Because the stocks were not worth anything, people could not sell. They needed up losing money, BUT they still had to pay back the loans. Banks ran out of money, because they had loaned out so much money. This resulted in a run on the banks. People desperately tried to get their money out of the bank before the bank ran out of money. Many people lost all of their money. ! Be sure to watch the BrainPop movies on Stocks and Shares The Stock Market Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover was the president when the stock market crashed in 1929. He had hoped that the depression would fix itself. He believed that the local communities and charities would be able to step up and help those in need. Unfortunately the problem was much bigger than the communities could handle. They needed the government to step in and help out. As a result of the Stock Market crashing, many things went wrong. Banks went out of business. People panicked and went to the banks to pull out the money they had in it. Banks literally ran out of money and had to close their doors. Businesses had to let people go because people were unable to pay back the items they bought on credit. Loans were not paid and homes were taken. Homeless people lived in shanty towns and called them "Hoovervilles." |
Charles Lindbergh
He changed the way people traveled by proving that flying longer distances could be safe and quicker. Charles Lindbergh was a hero of the 1920s. He was the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. He proved it was possible to travel across an ocean in days rather than weeks. This meant that people could take trips for enjoyment now. May 20-21, 1927 Spirit of St. Louis airplane He flew from New York to Paris, France 33 1/2 hours Why is it important? He proves that it is possible to travel by plane across oceans. This means that traveling by plane is faster especially to long distances such as across and ocean. Langston Hughes
He changed the view of African Americans and poor people through his literary works. Remember how African Americans had been treated due to the Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks from whites. They had to drink from different water fountains, sit in the back of trains and buses, go to different schools, enter through backdoor, etc... Many blacks decided to move away from the South and to the North to escape this unfair treatment. Although they moved to the North, they still faced hardships there. African Americans wanted to prove that they were as good as whites in art, music, sports and culture. Their main goal was to inspire African Americans to succeed and change racial stereotypes. Langston Hughes became part of a movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem was a neighborhood in New York City where many African Americans lived. Hughes was a famous writer that wrote about African Americans. People enjoyed reading his work and the work of others because it made them appreciate who they were. Even though they were experiencing hardships and were being treated unfairly, they had things to be happy about. They were beautiful, smart, talented, etc... They needed to know that and be reminded of that. Through his work and the work of others, they were reminded of that. Plus, other people learned that too. You can find out more about the Harlem Renaissance by watching the BrainPop video about the Harlem Renaissance. Mother to Son Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor-- Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now-- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. Langston Hughes Dreams Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Langston Hughes Louis Armstrong "Satchmo"
He changed the entertainment world by transforming dance and music. Now that the men had returned from World War I, people wanted to just enjoy life. People had seen the horrors of war. They knew you needed to enjoy each and everyday. They kind of made YOLO popular before we made the term popular. In the 1920s people had leisure time. Leisure time is that time when you just hang and do the things that make you happy. Today people watch Netflix, play video games, go to museums, etc... Back in the 1920s one of the popular things to do was listen to music. Music made people feel good. It made them want to dance. One of those genres of music that they enjoyed to listen to was jazz. For the first time, large numbers of people had money to spend on entertainment, which included live music. In addition, with the widespread development of radio and record players, the music industry was bursting at the seams. Jazz began in New Orleans. Africans Americans would come together and just play music. They did not follow any type of music sheets to play songs. Instead, they improvised. Someone just started playing and someone else would join in. this would continue and before you knew it, there was a song that was upbeat that people enjoyed. They just kind of made the song up as they played their instruments. One famous jazz musician was Louis Armstrong. He played the cornet which is kind of like a trumpet. He was very good at playing it that people enjoyed listening to him. He became very famous. He also made SCAT popular. Don;t know what SCAT is? Listen to the read aloud below. If you listen to his song Listen to his song Heebie Jeebie below, you can hear me SCAT. 1930sEven though things were bleak with the Great Depression of the 1930's, there were some cultural things that occurred. People continued to use their talents to write, sing, play sports and instruments, etc. Movies began to grow in popularity. Even though African Americans continued to make notable achievements, they still were not accepted as equals.
Jesse Owens
He became a hero after winning 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. In addition to winning he embarrassed Adolf Hitler at the games which were held in Berlin, Germany. Hitler believed that the Aryan (German) race was superior to everybody else. Owens severely disproved this theory by winning gold four times. Despite his incredible success, African Americans still were segregated in American and were not treated as equals. Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell became famous for her Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Gone with the Wind." The book about life in the South during and after the Civil War was also made into one of top selling movies of all time, in 1939. Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia and her book is a piece of literature with which every Georgian should be familiar. Margaret Mitchell, author of "Gone With the Wind," died at Grady Hospital of injuries received when she was struck down by a speeding automobile on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington continued the jazz tradition of Louis Armstrong. He became one of the most popular musicians and composers in America despite continually facing the issue of racism in America. For more about Duke Ellington you can visit his website. |
Dust Bowl
A ten year drought and poor farming techniques created the perfect conditions for dust storms in the midwest. Farmers in the midwest had been growing crops for years. Unfortunately, the soil had been stripped of its nutrients. When farmers began planting for the next season, the soil rejected their crops. It, the soil, simply did not have what it needed to allow things to grow. When the drought came, the topsoil had dried up and wind erosion took over. The wind would come and pick up the loose topsoil. Terrible storms of dust rolled through the area. Life was extremely difficult for those living in the area. Dust was everywhere. Soup Kitchens
Soup Kitchens and bread lines were common in the 1930s. 1 out of 4 Americans did not have a job. Men, women, and children had to go to these soup kitchens to eat. Sometimes this would be the only meal they got for the day. The meal consisted of a bowl of soup and a a piece of bread. Soup kitchens were VERY quiet. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He was elected in 1932 while America was suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. He promised the American People a New Deal. His New Deal plan was for the government to help meet peoples' needs by creating jobs and government programs to assist the American people. Some of the key programs he created were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To get a full understanding of the various programs you will want to visit the links provided, but here is a quick explanation of each program.
|